Charles “Charlie” Joseph Francis

Charles Joseph Francis, age 52, of Horicon WI passed away on April 23, 2023, after an almost two year- long and hard-fought battle with cancer.

A Celebration of Life for Charlie will be on Saturday, May 13, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. at the Koepsell Funeral Home in Mayville. A visitation for Charlie will be held at the funeral home on Saturday, May 13 from 11:00 a.m. until the time of service at 2:00 p.m.

Charlie is survived by his loving wife Amy Francis of Horicon, stepson Jacob Egan (Mariah Hanrahan) of Mayville and stepdaughter Jordan Peters of Horicon; stepsons Victor (Kelly) Sunderland and their daughter Emma of Beaver Dam, and Dustin (Chelsey) Sunderland and their son Jax of Beaver Dam; brother Chris Francis (David Kwasny) of Milwaukee; father and step-mother John and Antoinette Francis of Mountain; father-in-law and mother-in-law Harry and Christine Gil of Muskego; Brother-in-Law Ben (Amy) Gil and their children Bentley and Alexis of Muskego; Stepsisters and Stepbrother Maria (Craig) Bielinski and children Kayla and Bella of Lomira, Mary Ellen Buechel (Ritch Reinke) and children Logan and Morgan of Sherwood, John Schultz and children Nathan and Sydney of Mayville; stepfather Roy Powless of Green Bay and stepbrother Matt (Holly) Powless and family of Green Bay; uncle Robert (Maggie) Fisher of Green Bay, cousins Allison (Carolyn) Adler of Huntington Woods, MI and Hillary (Jordan) Levin of Waterford, MI; and half-sister Karen Yashon-Brown of San Diego, CA. Special friends Jon Westimayer of Horicon; Troy Finke of Mayville, Todd Bertel of Mayville, Steve Drews of Horicon and their families. He also adored his special bond with Amy’s Grandmother (“Grandma”) Mary Neubauer of Wauwatosa and cherished his relationship with Amy’s Aunt Kath and Uncle John Hankins of Menomonee Falls. He is further survived by many other cousins, nieces, nephews, friends, and in-laws, including the children of his friends who considered him “dad”.

“Charlie” was born October 1, 1970, in Green Bay, WI, the son of John Francis and the late Pamela (Fisher) Powless. He was proudly named after his paternal Grandfather (the late “Grandpa Charlie”). Charlie attended Eisenhower Elementary School in Green Bay through 6th Grade. In his early years, he enjoyed playing with his best friend Mike Meyers who lived next door, going on car and plane trips to visit his grandparents in Miami Beach, and spending warm summer weekends at his auntie and uncles’ cottages at both Star Lake in Mountain WI and Kangaroo Lake in Door County. He lovingly tormented his younger brother, while simultaneously watching over him, waiting for him to grow up to be a “big boy” like him. He especially enjoyed his close relationship with his Grandma Ruth, who luckily lived only a block away. His parents separated when he was young, but he enjoyed so many special times visiting his mother frequently and great times with the Fisher Family. He was proud of his heritage, consisting of his Jewish mother’s family and his father’s German and Syrian/Lebanese heritage.

In 1982, Charlie moved to Mayville, WI with his father and stepmother. He attended Mayville Junior High School for 7th and 8th Grade. Suddenly, Charlie became “Chuck”. He enjoyed playing football and playing alto saxophone in the high school band. He went on to graduate from Mayville High School, Class of 1988. From there he entered the welding program at Northeastern Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay and enjoyed a year of living with his Grandma Ruth while he finished his degree. In 1989 he moved back to Mayville and began what would be a successful 34-year long career at Mayville Engineering Company (MEC). Over three + decades, he formed lifelong special connections with vendors and so many colleagues and was always there to lend a hand to anyone who needed it. He was a man of habits, rituals and routines, and there wasn’t anyone close to him who didn’t know all about them. These things were often the butt of jokes, and he loved every minute of it. He last held the position of Weld Tech Engineer Supervisor and retired in early March of this year. In appreciation for his dedication and passion for youth development within his industry, MEC honored him by renaming the internal weld boot camp “The Charles Francis Weld Boot Camp” at a large retirement party attended by colleagues.

Chuck was an avid heavy metal music fan and was especially fond of the group Judas Priest. He and his friends enjoyed dozens of concerts and he owned every single one of their albums. Chuck and his close friends also formed two different heavy metal bands, Sonic Fury, and Infantry. They frequently had gigs all over the area and were widely known and enjoyed by fans and friends. Chuck became interested in deer hunting at an early age and adored going both gun and bow hunting with his dad, cousins, and friends. One of his most coveted spots was what he referred to as “The Big Tree”. While not a morning person in general, he never minded getting up and out into his spot to be one with nature in peace and quiet. He also enjoyed caring for his yard and lawn and loved to show off what he had done out there. Before the death of his mother in 2008, he and his brother enjoyed countless visits, trips and great times with his mother Pam and her husband Roy.

In 2016, Chuck met the love of his life, Amy Gil. Together with her two children Jake and Jordan, they formed a nurturing and loving bond, and Charlie quickly became a beloved part of Amy’s family. On September 12, 2020, they married in a beautiful backyard ceremony at the home of Amy’s parents in Muskego, with close family, friends, and colleagues in attendance. The union they formed 4 years earlier was set in stone that day. Amy and Charlie enjoyed so many adventures together. Traveling to all of WI’s casinos and playing video poker for hours at a time, grabbing a drink down at “The Rock”, a bite to eat at Ginger’s, summer festivals, concerts, taking their boat out on Fox Lake, dining at their favorite spot Johnny Manhattans, and visiting Charlie’s family in Mountain, WI. Trips to Las Vegas and Myrtle Beach brought even more fun to the mix. They also enjoyed visits to Amy’s family cabin on Lake Arbutus, spending time out on the water and at the Sandbar. He was always the “pontoon captain”. Most recently they would take shorter rides to Amy’s aunt and uncle’s place in Wisconsin Dells, where many more wonderful memories were made. He loved enjoying a nice Chopin Vodka Gimlet.

He was preceded in death by his mother Pamela Powless; Grandparents Ruth and Charles Francis, Lawrence (Babe) and Judith Fisher, a special Aunt Helen Blustein; and many other great-grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and loved ones.

MEC has set up a scholarship in honor of Charlie. Memorials can be made to the scholarship by visiting the following website. Charles Francis Scholarship (etapestry.com)